I am a Vietnamese guy who casually eats dog meat. Normally, I eat dog meat with my friend in a party, simply because dog meat is tasty (there’s no religious or monetary issue here). I think it is hypocritical to ask us to stop eating dog meat, simply because dogs are considered a “friend” in some areas of the world. Besides, there are a lot of other practices that should receive the same attention outside of the eating of dog meat, such as:
- Japan’s whalin
- Canada’s clubbing of seals
- Mass killing of whales in the Faroe Islands
- Spain’s bull fighting
While my eating habits don’t affect anyone, some of these have negatively impacts the environment (and many people indirectly). But to my knowledge, there are not adequate efforts to stop them. Why is that? Is it because those practices happen in your own house, and has become normal?
People always try to justify their own actions while judging others. I will not stop enjoying my favourite food just because some unknown person(s) on internet doesn’t like that!
I start this updating part, preparing to debunking some myths in the relationship between human and their friend dogs. But I change my mind midway. There’s no good in calling names. I’ve been called so many times to realize that.
So, instead of calling people names, what are good ways to prevent people in these countries to stop consuming dog meat? I don’t know about China and Korea, but there are working methods people are doing in Vietnam. They are:
- Travel to Vietnam, work with the Vietnamese, conduct business with them, make them rich. Consumers of dog meat are mostly of poor or low-medium background (including myself). While they may not stop eating dog meat now, if they become rich, their children will most likely not follow their habit.
- In short term, try to use your economic influence to prevent people to do that, one step at a time. First, urge the Vietnamese government to do more against dog stealing. Then when the time is right, maybe 5 or 10 years from now, make the final blow for the dog consuming altogether. People will not stop eating it, though, but they can only eat it illegantly, and that’s good enough, for now.
In a democracy world that the West is so proud about, people talk to each other. Please do that instead names calling and discrimination. Thank you!
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